Study: Pokemon Go players are happy and nice

A man out early in the morning attempting to catch Pokemon characters in Pokemon Go, shortly after the game's launch.

Morten Falch Sortland, Getty Images

If you're still out there trying to catch 'em all in Pokemon Go, then there's good news (aside from all the Pokemon fun you're having). According to a new study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, published in the journal Media Psychology, you're also more likely to be cheerful and friendly than your non-Pokemon Go-playing peers.

The team started studying the effects of the game on its players not long after its launch in July 2016. They surveyed 400 people three weeks in, 40 percent of whom were playing Pokemon Go. Those Pokemon Go players were more likely to be exercising, as well as experiencing positive emotions, making new friends and strengthening existing friendships.

"For the most part, the Pokemon Go players said more about positive things that were making them feel their life was more worthwhile, more satisfactory, and making them more resilient," said author James Alex Bonus in a statement.

"The more people were playing, the more they were engaging in behaviors that reflected making new connections -- making Facebook friends, introducing themselves to someone new, exchanging phone numbers with someone, or spending more time with old friends and learning new things about them."